Chapter 4

They forced the reporters to crowd around me, broadcasting my humiliation live on TikTok to salvage the brand.

The blood from my forehead dripped onto the polished floor.

No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't break free from their heavy grip.

Just as I felt my consciousness fading, Chloe and my parents finally arrived.

Chloe ran over and knelt beside me, her face drenched in tears.

"Look what they did to you! Does it hurt? Ethan, don't be scared. I'll handle the company. You just need to focus on recovering."

I lay there, staring at her. Then, with a sudden burst of adrenaline, I shoved her away and screamed, "I don't need to recover! I'm not sick! I just want a divorce!"

My parents watched my outburst in sheer terror, fearing I had completely lost my mind.

They quickly stepped in front of Chloe, protecting her pregnant belly, and looked at me with deep pity and sorrow.

"Ethan, we are your parents. We would never hurt you. Why didn't you tell us you were struggling with mental illness?"

"Chloe already found a top-tier private sanitarium for you. They specialize in treating severe breakdowns. Just go with them, okay? Chloe will keep the company safe while you get better."

I struggled to my feet, grabbing my parents' arms, trying to shake some sense into them.

"Dad, Mom! I am not sick! Don't listen to her lies! She is the psychopath here!"

My words made Chloe burst into fresh tears. Her victim act made my blood boil.

My parents held me tight, terrified that I might physically attack her.

Within minutes, an ambulance pulled up, and several men in white coats stepped out.

The leading doctor looked strikingly familiar. He spoke to my parents in a reassuring, professional tone, promising them they would take good care of me.

I caught a glimpse of my watch, then quickly pulled out my phone to dial a number.

But the leading doctor snatched my phone and slammed it onto the concrete, shattering it into pieces.

"Patients in this state should not have access to electronic devices. It only triggers their manic episodes."

I couldn't let them take me. I turned to bolt.

But the doctor seemed to predict my move. He lunged forward and plunged a syringe deep into my neck.

My muscles instantly locked up. My body went completely rigid, though my mind remained painfully awake.

The men offered a few more comforting words to my parents before lifting me onto a gurney and sliding me into the back of the ambulance.

As the vehicle drove off, my parents followed closely behind in their own car.

When the ambulance finally stopped, I rolled my eyes toward the window. Fear gripped my chest.

They dragged me out, trying to force me through the rusty gates of a secluded, private facility.

Suddenly, the numbing effect of the sedative began to fade. With a desperate surge of adrenaline, I grabbed the iron bars of the gate, refusing to let go.

Chloe, clutching her bandaged stomach, looked at me with tearful agony.

"Ethan, we're doing this for your own good. Just get the treatment you need. Once you're cured, I'll agree to whatever you want."

I finally locked eyes with her. Deep in her pupils, I saw a fleeting smirk of triumph.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, "I'll say this one last time! You have no right to lock me up here! Sign the goddamn papers!"

My parents walked over, gently pulling Chloe back. They took turns hugging my rigid body, as if saying a final goodbye.

I was furious at their blindness, and utterly terrified of what lay beyond those gates.

The orderly-looking men pulled at me with brutal force, but my fingers remained locked around the iron bars like claws.

The leading doctor’s eyes flashed with a cold, vicious light.

"The patient is resisting too violently. Break his fingers."

My parents gasped and tried to step in, their hearts breaking.

But Chloe quickly held them back. "Mom, Dad, doctors can easily reset broken fingers later. If we let Ethan keep raging like this, he's going to end up giving himself a fatal stroke."

My parents trusted Chloe implicitly. Hearing her words, they slowly backed away.

Taking advantage of my helplessness, the orderlies grabbed my fingers and began twisting them back, snapping them one by one.

My bloodcurdling screams echoed through the quiet street.

Suddenly, the screech of tires tore through the air. Several black SUVs slammed to a halt right in front of the gate, and a sharp, elegant woman stepped out.

"Step away from Ethan! This is assault!"